Born and raised in Brooklyn, vocalist Maya Azucena was described in The New York Post recently described her as having a “towering voice which has echoes of old-school divas, like Chaka Khan and Roberta Flack.”

In addition to the growing buzz across the U.S., Azucena has toured the European cities of London, Bath, Stockholm, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and ZoeterMeer. She recently made a return engagement to Toronto, performed in Italy and Croatia for the first time, and continues to build her international fan base. In 2006, Azucena shared the stage with artists such as Roberta Flack, Bilal, Martin Luther, Jaguar Wright, Leon Ware, Richard Bona, Lupe Fiasco, “Rhymefest,” Sleepy Brown, Big Daddy Kane, CL Smooth, “The Isley Brothers,” Gladys Knight, Anthony Hamilton, “The Platinum Pied Pipers,” and John Legend.

In September, 2006, Azucena was selected for the second year to sing the United States National Anthem at the start-line of NYC's Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Walk for the Cure, followed by a concert in Central Park. Earlier this year, she sang on Washington D.C.'s historic Mall at the Save Darfur Rally against genocide in the Sudan, in solidarity with national activists and celebrities such as U.S. Senator Barack Obama, Al Sharpton, and George Clooney. Azucena also performed in several Hurricane Katrina benefits in New York, and continues to remain active on community issues.

In the summer of 2006, on Best Sound/Sony-BMG, Azucena wrote and recorded four songs for Milanese hiphop artist, DJ JAD, the DJ for popular Italian hip-hop group “Articolo 31.” The album, with other artists such as Keith Murray, Smif-n-Wesson, N'dea Davenport, DJ Tony Touch, and Sacha, features Azucena’s song “This Feeling,” with rapper Krumbsnatcha, which was chosen as the advance single and music video. In support of this project, Maya has appeared on the television video countdown shows Top of the Pops and CD Live and MTV-Total Request Live in Italy.

Croatian Superstar, Gibonni, released his new CD titled Unca Fibre in May, 2006, with the song “Andejo U Tebi” (''Angel In You'') featuring Azucena, which is the first track on the CD. Recently flown to Croatia, Azucena shot the music video for the song and made a guest appearance at Gibonni’s concert in a sports arena for over 10,000 fans. In the two visits to Croatia, she has been mentioned in over a dozen popular newspapers.

Most recently, Azucena recorded a duet with Stephen Marley for his upcoming Tuff Gong/Universal Records release. The duet, entitled “Let Her Dance,” is designated for a music video and has spawned an ongoing working relationship with Marley, who is the producer and behind-the-scenes man for Damian Marley, Ziggy Marley, and more.

“The Maya Azucena Band,” which has aided in building Azucena’s signature sound, continues to work together in its fourth year. This year, Azucena has made frequent television appearances. BET-J’s THE LIST broadcasted a guest live performance and interview. Network station UPN-Saint Louis chose her song “Do You Really Wanna Party” as its 2006 summer theme song. The station flew Azucena to Saint Louis to film a promotional commercial that aired throughout the season. UPN affiliates in both Jackson, Mississippi, and Columbia, South Carolina also featured the song in their promos.

TheCircuitTV.com, hosted by MTV2's Jeremy Hassell, featured an Azucena interview/profile piece, along with clips from the Jason Fisher-directed music video Too Much. The same episode featured this year's Grammy winner Mike Shinoda of the group “Linkin Park.” The show gets an average of 400,000 to 600,000 subscribers per episode.

Fearless Music/Fox-TV, the late night concert-format television show, recently had “The Maya Azucena Band” as guests. Historically geared toward the music genre of independent rock, the show has now ventured into soul, choosing Azucena, along with group “Floetry,” as its first featured soul artists. The show is scheduled to air complete performances of three or more songs.

Behind the scenes, Azucena's voice has also been heard on national commercials in the Nair "The Less You Wear" campaign and other commercials such as Icy Hot, Macy’s, Mike's Hard Lemonade and Longhorn Steakhouse.

“Deep and soul-bearing, she (Azucena) sings like she's been everywhere and seen it all,” says CDBaby.com, the online music store where many of Azucena’s independent sales are made. “This soul/R&B/hip hop album is a fantastic launching point for a young woman with a bright and long career ahead of her.”